Okay, this was the weekend from hell. Any other time I said that, I was mistaken. Those were only outer rings of hell. This was the inner pit.
Friday night Tyler got hold of a corn cob and ate a bunch of it. I didn't see him with it, so wouldn't even have known, but the Dread Reverend caught it, took it away from him, and got rid of it.
At first I thought he hadn't eaten any of it, had only been gnawing on it. By the time I realized what had actually happened, it was too late to take him to the vet's, so I thought I'd wait till the next day and see how he was. At that point I didn't know corn cobs were lethal to dogs, only concerned that it might cause a problem, mostly because of Tyler's propensity to bite off chunks of things and swallow them whole, not bothering to take the time to chew. And if he had eaten any of it, I thought it might only have been one or two small pieces. At that time he still seemed fine - he'd been running around playing with a toy that evening, ate his dinner after the incident, and was acting perfectly okay.
By the next morning, though, my intuition was kicking me hard, telling me there was more to this than I knew, and I really needed to do something. Tyler still seemed to feel fine, but he had thrown up that morning (a bad sign), so I was at the vet's 20 minutes before they opened, and accosted the staff at the door as they were unlocking it.
When we saw the doctor, the news turned worse. She said that dogs eating corn cob is in fact usually lethal; they can't digest them, and the pieces cause an intestinal blockage which would kill them, untreated. She even warned me that in many cases, the dog can't even be saved by surgery if it's not caught quickly, because often owners don't see their dog eating the corn cob, and don't know anything happened until the dog begins to show symptoms of the intestinal blockage - vomiting, loss of appetite, other general symptoms of sickness - which usually don't get noticeable for several days. By then, the corn cob can likely rip holes in the intestine as it moved to wherever it got before it got stuck, and those holes can't always be fixed by surgery.
My panic was escalating. I was only worried about Tyler having surgery because he's 13 1/2 years old, and often surgery is much harder on older dogs. But I really didn't have any choice. The doctor said the only alternative was to take him home and 'wait and see' - and I'd already ruled that out after she told me what usually happens when these things aren't taken care of immediately.
So I told them to go ahead. Turned out it was the right decision to make, because they found a huge amount of corn cob chunks in his intestines. He must have eaten far more than we feared, because there were an amazing approximately 25 chunks of corn cob they pulled out of him. All of them were just small enough for him to have swallowed whole, but all big enough that any one of them alone could have killed him - and that many of them all together certainly would have.
The good news, though, was that they got them all (she assured me she checked every inch of his intestines, five times through; that's going to hurt for awhile, but it was worth it, to be sure). And he did amazingly well through the surgery, having no problems at all, came out of the anesthesia easily, was perky and bright-eyed, and doing great. They kept him overnight just to be sure, and I was able to pick him up Sunday evening around 5:00.
He's just laying around sleeping a lot, but I'm sure that's normal and good for him, to heal. But he's been outside several times, and moves around pretty good. He has a very good appetite; he's on a special diet for 2 weeks, a special canned food from the vet, and he's only allowed to have 1/8 cup four times a day (and that's only a spoonful), but he's been gobbling that up and looking at me like, "Where's the rest?" He's had some water. So he seems to be recovering as well as can be expected.
I took today off work to stay home with him; I just couldn't leave him alone his first whole day home, I needed to watch him. The vet did say that he wouldn't be entirely out of the woods for three to five days, because there are sutures in his stomach and intestines, and if either of those would rupture, it could kill him. And there's no way in hell I'm taking the slightest chance of letting that happen. When I do have to go back to work, I have a crate around here somewhere I'm going to find, and he's going to have to stay in that during the day. I hate to crate him, but there's no choice. He has to be kept quiet and safe until his insides have healed enough for there to be no more danger.
The only difficult thing now is that he keeps wanting to lick the incision on his belly, and I can't let him do that. I'm afraid that in addition to crating him, he's going to have to be subjected to one of those big collars, because when I'm back to work, even in the crate there will be nothing to stop him from licking that incision all day long. I don't have one of those collars, and will have to see about getting one from the vet's later today.
So ... don't ever let your dog get ahold of corn cobs. And try to keep an eye on them always, so that if they do get ahold of something they shouldn't have, you will know it in time that it can still be fixed.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
Encouraging News
Three things. First, I wasn't ready yet to give up on all lace (just the Triangles shawl) - it's become kind of an addiction already. So yesterday I went online and did some searching for 'beginner' lace shawl patterns. The Yarn Harlot's Snowdrop Shawl turned up in someone's list, and it's a free pattern, so I printed it out, and started it last night. (That link is just to her blog; if you want to check out this shawl, look on the right-hand side and find where it says "Free Patterns" and there's a link to it there; or scroll down farther and use the search box, and turn up the original post when the shawl was finished).
Well, I'm cautiously optimistic. This is going wildly better than Triangles. Probably the biggest difference to me is that this time I can actually read the knitting - I can actually see and understand what's going on. I'm not going to lie and say I haven't already made mistakes - I have. The major difference is, every time I have, I have been able to clearly see what I did, un-knit back and fix them, and go on with no problems. A couple times I've even caught mistakes before they went too far, by actually being able to notice that the stitch I'm about to make doesn't line up with the stitch in the row below that it should be lining up with. I've never been able to "see" that type of thing before. It's like night and day different from Triangles.
I'm not implying Snowdrop is a "simple" shawl that doesn't look like much. It's beautiful and intricate. It just seems to be well-designed enough that it can be beautiful without being overly complicated. Maybe to experieced lace-knitters it's simple, I don't know - but since I am by no means experienced at lace (unless you count experienced at screwing it up), this is perfect for me.
I suppose all lace uses the same basic stitches, but to say that it's all the same level of difficulty would obviously be crazy. So I suppose it all comes down to how complex the arrangement of those few stitches. Triangles didn't look that hard on the chart, but apparently it was, for me anyway.
I say cautiously optimistic, because I realize that there's a long ways to go yet. As with other such patterns, Snowdrop begins with one pattern panel in the center, then after a certain point you add another pattern panel to each side, then another, and so on, adding pattern panels to the side as the shawl gets wider. I'm only to the point where I've added one pattern panel to each side (and this part is still charted; later, of course, the width won't fit on the chart and you just have to work with a 'repeat this section' instruction, on your own). I recognize that I could start running into problems when I get into the multiple pattern panel additions that aren't charted, and I just have to keep track of them myself. But ... I'm still optimistic.
The second piece of good news is that I looked through "Handy Book of Sweater Patterns" last night, and there is a pattern for a raglan sweater. Celtic Icon was designed as a raglan, so it shouldn't be too difficult for me to replicate the sweater using my own gauge instead of having to follow the designer's pattern exactly. The published pattern was just a simple raglan with a zip front, the only thing making it stand out being the cable design up the back, up each front panel, and on each sleeve. I ought to be able to incorporate that into a 'generic' raglan pattern in my own gauge and size.
The only thing that will take some serious thought on my part is that Celtic Icon has a hood, and the generic raglan in the book does not. I think that with some effort and comparison between the two patterns, I can figure out how to add the hood anyway.
But that's down the road. For now, the third piece of good news - my cotton blend yarns should be arriving soon, and I'll start swatching for my hopefully simpler project - a cotton 3/4 sleeve summer cardigan.
I feel better. As anyone who is passionate about knitting knows, it kind of goes beyond "just a hobby." You get very attached to your projects, and when two of them at the same time are turning into disasters, it's frustrating. Coming up with some new things that I seem to have a reasonably tolerable chance of having actually work out is very encouraging. (In that cautiously optimistic kinda way).
Well, I'm cautiously optimistic. This is going wildly better than Triangles. Probably the biggest difference to me is that this time I can actually read the knitting - I can actually see and understand what's going on. I'm not going to lie and say I haven't already made mistakes - I have. The major difference is, every time I have, I have been able to clearly see what I did, un-knit back and fix them, and go on with no problems. A couple times I've even caught mistakes before they went too far, by actually being able to notice that the stitch I'm about to make doesn't line up with the stitch in the row below that it should be lining up with. I've never been able to "see" that type of thing before. It's like night and day different from Triangles.
I'm not implying Snowdrop is a "simple" shawl that doesn't look like much. It's beautiful and intricate. It just seems to be well-designed enough that it can be beautiful without being overly complicated. Maybe to experieced lace-knitters it's simple, I don't know - but since I am by no means experienced at lace (unless you count experienced at screwing it up), this is perfect for me.
I suppose all lace uses the same basic stitches, but to say that it's all the same level of difficulty would obviously be crazy. So I suppose it all comes down to how complex the arrangement of those few stitches. Triangles didn't look that hard on the chart, but apparently it was, for me anyway.
I say cautiously optimistic, because I realize that there's a long ways to go yet. As with other such patterns, Snowdrop begins with one pattern panel in the center, then after a certain point you add another pattern panel to each side, then another, and so on, adding pattern panels to the side as the shawl gets wider. I'm only to the point where I've added one pattern panel to each side (and this part is still charted; later, of course, the width won't fit on the chart and you just have to work with a 'repeat this section' instruction, on your own). I recognize that I could start running into problems when I get into the multiple pattern panel additions that aren't charted, and I just have to keep track of them myself. But ... I'm still optimistic.
The second piece of good news is that I looked through "Handy Book of Sweater Patterns" last night, and there is a pattern for a raglan sweater. Celtic Icon was designed as a raglan, so it shouldn't be too difficult for me to replicate the sweater using my own gauge instead of having to follow the designer's pattern exactly. The published pattern was just a simple raglan with a zip front, the only thing making it stand out being the cable design up the back, up each front panel, and on each sleeve. I ought to be able to incorporate that into a 'generic' raglan pattern in my own gauge and size.
The only thing that will take some serious thought on my part is that Celtic Icon has a hood, and the generic raglan in the book does not. I think that with some effort and comparison between the two patterns, I can figure out how to add the hood anyway.
But that's down the road. For now, the third piece of good news - my cotton blend yarns should be arriving soon, and I'll start swatching for my hopefully simpler project - a cotton 3/4 sleeve summer cardigan.
I feel better. As anyone who is passionate about knitting knows, it kind of goes beyond "just a hobby." You get very attached to your projects, and when two of them at the same time are turning into disasters, it's frustrating. Coming up with some new things that I seem to have a reasonably tolerable chance of having actually work out is very encouraging. (In that cautiously optimistic kinda way).
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Momentous Knitting Decisions
I'm very, very frustrated with my knitting right now. And this is not a good thing, because this is supposed to be a fun, relaxing hobby.
The lace is screwed up, again. I've ripped back to the second life-line twice already (never making it more than 1 1/2 rows past it). Last night I discovered a mistake, again - a stitch short on the first repeat. I truly don't get it. I mean, I'm being extremely careful, concentrating hard, double-checking my work as I go, and I still can't get it right. (And just in case I'm over-thinking it, I've also tried not concentrating so hard, and just casually knitting along with the attitude that it'll all work out; that didn't work either).
I'm wondering if it's time to throw in the towel on this one. I hate to give up, but this obviously isn't working. I'm spending an enormous amount of time just frustrated and annoyed that it keeps getting screwed up. Instead of being fun it's just a source of frustration. I'd say that's when it's time to give up, at least for awhile. Maybe I'll try it again some other time. Or maybe I'll try an easier project to hone my skills on.
Meanwhile, I made another momentous 'giving up' decision. It's Celtic Icon, of which I have the entire back and half a front panel done. I put off and put off working on this, and it's constantly kind of hovering around in the back of my mind, especially when I don't have another current project to work on (like right now, with the lace buggered up) and I think, "I could be working on Celtic Icon" ... and then I realize I don't want to.
Yesterday I put some thought into why I don't want to. I really like the pattern, so I wondered why I avoid it so much that it's going on two years and I have no more done than I do.
I've attempted two sweaters in the past for myself, and neither of them fit. On one of them I used the yarn called for, but as it was not long after I'd learned to knit, I don't even think I did a gauge swatch, just used the needle size stated - so it was miles too big. For the second one, I couldn't find the suggested yarn, so I substituted, and did swatch, but the finished sweater still didn't fit, at all.
For Celtic Icon I invested in the exact yarn the pattern called for, thinking I'd have better luck with gauge. But to get the stated gauge I had to drop 2 or 3 needles sizes. That would normally be fine, except this is a DK to sport weight wool, and a stiff yarn at that, and I'm knitting it on a size 4 needle. It's doable, and I have consistently kept the right stitch gauge. For the stockinette sections it's not so bad, but this sweater is heavily cabled, and making the cables with this stiff yarn on these small needles is a major pain. It's uncomfortable to work, it's very tight, and even though this is wool, it seems to have little to no stretch to help with making the cables with such tiny stitches on small needles.
If that were the only problem, I'd probably muscle on. But there's another major issue I've been avoiding thinking about. I did get stitch gauge, but I did not get row gauge by dropping so many needle sizes, and failed to realize it until I was starting the raglan shaping near the top of the back. The back of the sweater from the bottom to the raglan shaping is measured in inches, as in "knit until piece measures 15 inches." That's easy, no matter what your row gauge, you can do that. But then when the raglan shaping starts, all the decreases are done by rows (as in, "decrease one stitch each end of every other row for 25 rows"), and I realized that my measurement on the top half of the sweater was going to be all off if I did that - because my 25 rows and the designer's 25 rows were going to measure two entirely different lengths.
I tried doing the math to recalculate the decreases according to my row gauge, and adjusted the back of the pattern accordingly. But I know it didn't work, because when I measured that section of my finished back, it's about 4" longer than the schematic says it should be. Ergo, it's probably not going to fit.
Second, I didn't take very good notes, not realizing I'd be putting the thing down for a year and a half before I started the front, and now I'm not sure I can remember how to replicate my pattern changes so the front matches the back, even if I could still make it fit.
All this combined is making me less and less interested in finishing this project, too. And since I'm not even half-way done with it, it's hard to be enthusiastic about investing so much more time in something I think very well may not fit.
I've decided to scrap that project too, at least in it's present form.
I don't know if this makes me a fair-weather knitter who balks at trouble, or if it means I'm getting smarter. I mean, after all, and as I've said, knitting is supposed to be fun and relaxing. If I've got projects that are just annoying and frustrating me, and I already know probably aren't going to fit, it doesn't seem too smart to continue tormenting myself with them.
Second, I want to get better, and learn how to make things that actually fit. I've been knitting for about 6 years and have nothing to show for it but socks and scarves. There's nothing wrong with that, but I really want to be able to make other things. And to do that, I'm going to have to learn what works. (I think I've got what doesn't work down pat).
Obviously I have problems with published patterns, since whatever my quirky knitting syle is, I can't ever seem to get an exact stitch and row gauge match, even with the exact yarn called for. And I'm not good enough yet to modify existing patterns to fit.
But there are other things I could do, that I think would work. I mentioned this briefly in a recent post, but one of my ideas is to use Ann Budd's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. You establish your own stitch gauge and follow a recipe based on that. Any length measurements are set up by inches, not number of rows, so row gauge doesn't enter into it at all. I think with all of that, I could construct something that fits. (If I can't, then I'll just stick with socks and scarves, and be done with it).
Yesterday I ordered three balls of different cotton blend yarns, to experiment with. I'm going to do major large swatches in each (because it seems to take me a major large chunk o' knitting to establish my gauge), then choose one and try designing a sweater using the book. I want to make a cotton, 3/4 length sleeve cardigan for warm weather.
Because those patterns are purposely simplistic, I can even add my own stitch patterns or embellishments, as long as I make sure to do a large gauge swatch in the pattern stitch, too, as well as in stockinette. And I should have enough yarn to do all that. (But I plan to keep it simple - the whole point is to do something enjoyable that works, not frustrate myself further).
I'm thinking of a scheme to make a version of Celtic Icon this way, too. I was thinking that I could design a sweater using the Ann Budd book, but incorporate the cable pattern from Celtic Icon into it. It might not be exact, but there wasn't anything special about the particular design of the sweater itself, it was the cables that I liked. So I may still make a version of that sweater, using the cable pattern but nothing else from the written instructions.
So that's where I'm at. Scrapping everything I've currently got going, and starting over, hopefully learning new skills (such as how sweaters actually fit together) that will enable me to make the things I want to make, and then actually be able to wear them.
There are a lot of other books about how to design garments that fit, without a pattern, by using measurements. I think considering my past problems, I might benefit from those skills - if I learned that kind of thing, maybe I could even learn to modify existing patterns when I can't match their stitch and row gauge. But, one step at a time.
So ... a new adventure. I don't mind the challenge, but I hope I can avoid the endless frustration this time. I'll keep you posted.
The lace is screwed up, again. I've ripped back to the second life-line twice already (never making it more than 1 1/2 rows past it). Last night I discovered a mistake, again - a stitch short on the first repeat. I truly don't get it. I mean, I'm being extremely careful, concentrating hard, double-checking my work as I go, and I still can't get it right. (And just in case I'm over-thinking it, I've also tried not concentrating so hard, and just casually knitting along with the attitude that it'll all work out; that didn't work either).
I'm wondering if it's time to throw in the towel on this one. I hate to give up, but this obviously isn't working. I'm spending an enormous amount of time just frustrated and annoyed that it keeps getting screwed up. Instead of being fun it's just a source of frustration. I'd say that's when it's time to give up, at least for awhile. Maybe I'll try it again some other time. Or maybe I'll try an easier project to hone my skills on.
Meanwhile, I made another momentous 'giving up' decision. It's Celtic Icon, of which I have the entire back and half a front panel done. I put off and put off working on this, and it's constantly kind of hovering around in the back of my mind, especially when I don't have another current project to work on (like right now, with the lace buggered up) and I think, "I could be working on Celtic Icon" ... and then I realize I don't want to.
Yesterday I put some thought into why I don't want to. I really like the pattern, so I wondered why I avoid it so much that it's going on two years and I have no more done than I do.
I've attempted two sweaters in the past for myself, and neither of them fit. On one of them I used the yarn called for, but as it was not long after I'd learned to knit, I don't even think I did a gauge swatch, just used the needle size stated - so it was miles too big. For the second one, I couldn't find the suggested yarn, so I substituted, and did swatch, but the finished sweater still didn't fit, at all.
For Celtic Icon I invested in the exact yarn the pattern called for, thinking I'd have better luck with gauge. But to get the stated gauge I had to drop 2 or 3 needles sizes. That would normally be fine, except this is a DK to sport weight wool, and a stiff yarn at that, and I'm knitting it on a size 4 needle. It's doable, and I have consistently kept the right stitch gauge. For the stockinette sections it's not so bad, but this sweater is heavily cabled, and making the cables with this stiff yarn on these small needles is a major pain. It's uncomfortable to work, it's very tight, and even though this is wool, it seems to have little to no stretch to help with making the cables with such tiny stitches on small needles.
If that were the only problem, I'd probably muscle on. But there's another major issue I've been avoiding thinking about. I did get stitch gauge, but I did not get row gauge by dropping so many needle sizes, and failed to realize it until I was starting the raglan shaping near the top of the back. The back of the sweater from the bottom to the raglan shaping is measured in inches, as in "knit until piece measures 15 inches." That's easy, no matter what your row gauge, you can do that. But then when the raglan shaping starts, all the decreases are done by rows (as in, "decrease one stitch each end of every other row for 25 rows"), and I realized that my measurement on the top half of the sweater was going to be all off if I did that - because my 25 rows and the designer's 25 rows were going to measure two entirely different lengths.
I tried doing the math to recalculate the decreases according to my row gauge, and adjusted the back of the pattern accordingly. But I know it didn't work, because when I measured that section of my finished back, it's about 4" longer than the schematic says it should be. Ergo, it's probably not going to fit.
Second, I didn't take very good notes, not realizing I'd be putting the thing down for a year and a half before I started the front, and now I'm not sure I can remember how to replicate my pattern changes so the front matches the back, even if I could still make it fit.
All this combined is making me less and less interested in finishing this project, too. And since I'm not even half-way done with it, it's hard to be enthusiastic about investing so much more time in something I think very well may not fit.
I've decided to scrap that project too, at least in it's present form.
I don't know if this makes me a fair-weather knitter who balks at trouble, or if it means I'm getting smarter. I mean, after all, and as I've said, knitting is supposed to be fun and relaxing. If I've got projects that are just annoying and frustrating me, and I already know probably aren't going to fit, it doesn't seem too smart to continue tormenting myself with them.
Second, I want to get better, and learn how to make things that actually fit. I've been knitting for about 6 years and have nothing to show for it but socks and scarves. There's nothing wrong with that, but I really want to be able to make other things. And to do that, I'm going to have to learn what works. (I think I've got what doesn't work down pat).
Obviously I have problems with published patterns, since whatever my quirky knitting syle is, I can't ever seem to get an exact stitch and row gauge match, even with the exact yarn called for. And I'm not good enough yet to modify existing patterns to fit.
But there are other things I could do, that I think would work. I mentioned this briefly in a recent post, but one of my ideas is to use Ann Budd's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. You establish your own stitch gauge and follow a recipe based on that. Any length measurements are set up by inches, not number of rows, so row gauge doesn't enter into it at all. I think with all of that, I could construct something that fits. (If I can't, then I'll just stick with socks and scarves, and be done with it).
Yesterday I ordered three balls of different cotton blend yarns, to experiment with. I'm going to do major large swatches in each (because it seems to take me a major large chunk o' knitting to establish my gauge), then choose one and try designing a sweater using the book. I want to make a cotton, 3/4 length sleeve cardigan for warm weather.
Because those patterns are purposely simplistic, I can even add my own stitch patterns or embellishments, as long as I make sure to do a large gauge swatch in the pattern stitch, too, as well as in stockinette. And I should have enough yarn to do all that. (But I plan to keep it simple - the whole point is to do something enjoyable that works, not frustrate myself further).
I'm thinking of a scheme to make a version of Celtic Icon this way, too. I was thinking that I could design a sweater using the Ann Budd book, but incorporate the cable pattern from Celtic Icon into it. It might not be exact, but there wasn't anything special about the particular design of the sweater itself, it was the cables that I liked. So I may still make a version of that sweater, using the cable pattern but nothing else from the written instructions.
So that's where I'm at. Scrapping everything I've currently got going, and starting over, hopefully learning new skills (such as how sweaters actually fit together) that will enable me to make the things I want to make, and then actually be able to wear them.
There are a lot of other books about how to design garments that fit, without a pattern, by using measurements. I think considering my past problems, I might benefit from those skills - if I learned that kind of thing, maybe I could even learn to modify existing patterns when I can't match their stitch and row gauge. But, one step at a time.
So ... a new adventure. I don't mind the challenge, but I hope I can avoid the endless frustration this time. I'll keep you posted.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
More Gardening News
I wanted to come home and knit tonight, but nature intervened. It rained much of last week, and is supposed to rain much of this week, but as it often goes in the spring, I had a two-day break. It was sunny and breezy yesterday and today, drying out the yard just enough to mow. I finally got the weed whacker re-strung, then trimmed the front and back. I wasn't going to mow tonight, but when I realized it was dry enough (and wasn't going to be again any time soon), I went ahead and did that too - front and back. It was worth it. The back yard is looking great.
Over the weekend the Dread Reverend added to our patios.
Over the weekend the Dread Reverend added to our patios.
I think this looks awesome. I'm really impressed with it. He got some more rocks today, and is going to expand the patio closest to the garage, to run along the side of the garage for a ways too - in part to fill in another muddy spot, and in part to make a place for us to store firewood.
Meanwhile, one of the stealth squirrels was out yesterday ...
... sneakily making his way down for a snack.
I bought these antlers at a flea market years ago, on a whim, and when I fixed up the pond bed, I mounted them there. Originally it was a full set, both sides matching (and usually staying upright). I began to notice squirrels chewing on them, and eventually they chewed one side off entirely (and always have them sideways from standing on them). Apparently they have a serious calcium deficiency.
But now they just look kind of silly. I think I'll take them down this year, and since the squirrels like them so much, maybe I'll put them up somewhere else, where they can munch to their heart's content.
Doing the yard work got me enthused about the planting - the one gardening thing I haven't gotten around to yet. I want to condition the pond bed with a couple bags of compost and manure (because right now it's just about pure clay), and then plant some new stuff in there! It's looked like hell for years, and my feeble sporadic attempts at planting there have just failed.
But this year I hope to do better. I've always wanted to have gardens, and nice landscaping. My dad was great at it. I don't think I inherited his green thumb, but in addition, I've just been too distracted and busy for the past, oh, 8 years or so to deal with it.
Now, I find myself having the time and energy for it. Since January or February I've been perusing gardening magazines and books, planning what I'd like to do there.
I've come up with just about squat. I've decided to get a couple cranesbills to start (hardy geraniums - blooming perennials, not to be confused with the the pot geraniums you can buy as a houseplant). Beyond that, I'm just unsure exactly what I want to do there.
I guess as long as I consider the entire thing an experiment and an adventure, I can't really go too far wrong. And it's high time to get busy ordering this stuff ... I'm ordering from a catalog this year because they have a deal, $25 off any order over $50. That's a pretty darned good deal, and I'm taking advantage of it - $50 worth of stuff for $25. $25 I can afford; $50 I can't.
So after doing the lawn, I spent some time filling out my order. I'm both excited and nervous - everything I've ever tried to plant around here has died within a year or two. I know part of that was my lack of knowledge and neglect. I'm hoping I can do better from here on out.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Lace. Ouch.
This lace is really putting me through my paces. Here's how today went.
I had gotten about two rows past the point where I kept screwing up, with no problems.
This morning I decided to do some relaxing Sunday knitting. Hah.
The first thing I noticed was that you're not supposed to run your life-line through your stitch markers.
Which I did ...
... but fortunately not all the way across, just on the two end markers, and the two smack-dab in the middle. This was going to cause a problem because as I knit past them, the markers would continue to pull the life-line along with them.
So I decided to do some surgery. Since I had plenty of life-line left on the ends, I pulled some out by the markers, cut it, pulled it out of the markers, and tied a knot.
This mostly worked - the knot wouldn't slide through the stitches, but since it was a small area with no increases, I didn't think it was going to be too big a deal. The two on the ends I just left - I figured I could pull the life-line up along with the markers, being right on the edge that way.
I intended to put another life-line in every section repeat, and the sections are only 20 rows high, so I wouldn't have to carry it far.
Ah, but it was not to be.
After awhile I decided to move out to the back porch, and took my knitting with me. I did a few things outside, and then when I sat down to knit, I discovered to my horror that my needle had pulled out of about 2" worth of stitches. There they were, just unraveling and dangling and no where near any needle.
I had gotten about two rows past the point where I kept screwing up, with no problems.
This morning I decided to do some relaxing Sunday knitting. Hah.
The first thing I noticed was that you're not supposed to run your life-line through your stitch markers.
Which I did ...
... but fortunately not all the way across, just on the two end markers, and the two smack-dab in the middle. This was going to cause a problem because as I knit past them, the markers would continue to pull the life-line along with them.
So I decided to do some surgery. Since I had plenty of life-line left on the ends, I pulled some out by the markers, cut it, pulled it out of the markers, and tied a knot.
This mostly worked - the knot wouldn't slide through the stitches, but since it was a small area with no increases, I didn't think it was going to be too big a deal. The two on the ends I just left - I figured I could pull the life-line up along with the markers, being right on the edge that way.
I intended to put another life-line in every section repeat, and the sections are only 20 rows high, so I wouldn't have to carry it far.
Ah, but it was not to be.
After awhile I decided to move out to the back porch, and took my knitting with me. I did a few things outside, and then when I sat down to knit, I discovered to my horror that my needle had pulled out of about 2" worth of stitches. There they were, just unraveling and dangling and no where near any needle.
I eyed it sadly for a few minutes, but I knew there was no way I was going to be able to put it back together. If it was just straight knitting, I could do it - even with dropped stitches, I can fix that. But not in lace.
I took a deep breath and made use of the life-line. I ripped back to that, which was back to the beginning of this section, about 3 or 4 rows. Not a terribly long way to go, so it wasn't too painful. Putting the stitches back on was kind of a pain - Addi Turbos are nice needles, but the ends, while tapered, are not pointy enough for this.
But I got it done. Meanwhile,I discovered the down side of making sure your life-line doesn't run through your markers. When you rip back, all of your markers fall off, and you have nothing to keep track with. I decided to go ahead and knit the first row, then put the markers back on on my way across the back on the purl row. (Why there? I have no freaking idea; and no, it didn't work).
I re-knit across the row, and having no markers to keep track of my progress, got clear to the end of the row before I realized that I was about 4 stitches short.
Back to the frong pond. Ripped back again (just one row, not that dire). The next time across I put the markers in as I went, and double checked each section again on my way across. And got it right.
So then I had just a purl row - piece of cake right? Huh. I managed to drop a stitch on my way across. It should have been easy, but in my flustered state after the downhill slide of the morning, it took me several minutes to find it. It was a dropped yarn-over. Fixed, and moved on.
Next row, knitting along, suddenly noticed I had lost my place on the chart and was knitting the wrong section. Okay, no problem - I can unknit 8 or 10 stitches and get back on track. Sure I can. Somewhere along there I - AGAIN - got screwed up, and ... I don't know exactly what happened there, all I can tell you is when I unknit the section I had 12 stitches instead of 14. But I couldn't see any homeless and unraveling stitches. I believe that I screwed up unknitting a couple of knit-two-togethers, only taking off one of them instead of both. But in my flustered state, again, I couldn't figure it out.
Eventually I did fix this, too. Not exactly right. I did get my 14 stitches back, without just faking it and making any. But when I looked at it at the end of the row, it was obvious something wasn't quite right ... there was a marked lack of solidity in that section, as if I'd unknit several rows down, then just used those loops for my current row. Like slipping several rows instead of actually knitting them. So it will be a glitch in the pattern, but hopefully it won't be too noticeable down the road. (Because I wasn't ripping back for that).
So it was a rough, rough lace-knitting day. But ... I did get it all fixed, and I'm back on track. I've completed that section, and I'm ready to put my next life-line in. The last time I put it in at the beginning of the most complicated row of the pattern. I learned my lesson from that - knitting that first row after the life-line is tricky, with the life-line kind of in your way. Doing it on a complicated row just makes it that much harder. The last row of the section is the simplest, having only a couple yarn-overs and center double decreases, and the rest all straight knitting. This time I'm putting the life-line in at the end of that row, before a purl row. That way the only thing I have to do along that first row with the life-line in my way is purl stitches.
Now things are going to get interesting. Because I'm up to where I have to start making multiple repeats of a center panel of this section. In this last bit I only had to make one repeat, and although it was mostly easy, that was - toward the end - where I kept screwing up and losing my place. Now I'll have more than one to keep track of, and I've got to figure out a better way to do it than by memory, if I want to try to avoid more mistakes.
And I'm still loving knitting this lace. It' s a freaking addiction. Well, I guess I've learned some things about lace. You definitely have to be a 'process knitter' to do lace - at least the way I do it (one step forward, two steps back). If I didn't love the process, I'd have given up 5 tries ago. I can live with the ripping out and re-knitting (if I must), but what really frustrates me is when I make a mistake (like knowing I dropped a stitch but not being sure where) or need to unknit a section, and I can't read the knitting to tell what I'm doing. I hope that with more experience and practice, I'll learn this skill as well.
I took a deep breath and made use of the life-line. I ripped back to that, which was back to the beginning of this section, about 3 or 4 rows. Not a terribly long way to go, so it wasn't too painful. Putting the stitches back on was kind of a pain - Addi Turbos are nice needles, but the ends, while tapered, are not pointy enough for this.
But I got it done. Meanwhile,I discovered the down side of making sure your life-line doesn't run through your markers. When you rip back, all of your markers fall off, and you have nothing to keep track with. I decided to go ahead and knit the first row, then put the markers back on on my way across the back on the purl row. (Why there? I have no freaking idea; and no, it didn't work).
I re-knit across the row, and having no markers to keep track of my progress, got clear to the end of the row before I realized that I was about 4 stitches short.
Back to the frong pond. Ripped back again (just one row, not that dire). The next time across I put the markers in as I went, and double checked each section again on my way across. And got it right.
So then I had just a purl row - piece of cake right? Huh. I managed to drop a stitch on my way across. It should have been easy, but in my flustered state after the downhill slide of the morning, it took me several minutes to find it. It was a dropped yarn-over. Fixed, and moved on.
Next row, knitting along, suddenly noticed I had lost my place on the chart and was knitting the wrong section. Okay, no problem - I can unknit 8 or 10 stitches and get back on track. Sure I can. Somewhere along there I - AGAIN - got screwed up, and ... I don't know exactly what happened there, all I can tell you is when I unknit the section I had 12 stitches instead of 14. But I couldn't see any homeless and unraveling stitches. I believe that I screwed up unknitting a couple of knit-two-togethers, only taking off one of them instead of both. But in my flustered state, again, I couldn't figure it out.
Eventually I did fix this, too. Not exactly right. I did get my 14 stitches back, without just faking it and making any. But when I looked at it at the end of the row, it was obvious something wasn't quite right ... there was a marked lack of solidity in that section, as if I'd unknit several rows down, then just used those loops for my current row. Like slipping several rows instead of actually knitting them. So it will be a glitch in the pattern, but hopefully it won't be too noticeable down the road. (Because I wasn't ripping back for that).
So it was a rough, rough lace-knitting day. But ... I did get it all fixed, and I'm back on track. I've completed that section, and I'm ready to put my next life-line in. The last time I put it in at the beginning of the most complicated row of the pattern. I learned my lesson from that - knitting that first row after the life-line is tricky, with the life-line kind of in your way. Doing it on a complicated row just makes it that much harder. The last row of the section is the simplest, having only a couple yarn-overs and center double decreases, and the rest all straight knitting. This time I'm putting the life-line in at the end of that row, before a purl row. That way the only thing I have to do along that first row with the life-line in my way is purl stitches.
Now things are going to get interesting. Because I'm up to where I have to start making multiple repeats of a center panel of this section. In this last bit I only had to make one repeat, and although it was mostly easy, that was - toward the end - where I kept screwing up and losing my place. Now I'll have more than one to keep track of, and I've got to figure out a better way to do it than by memory, if I want to try to avoid more mistakes.
And I'm still loving knitting this lace. It' s a freaking addiction. Well, I guess I've learned some things about lace. You definitely have to be a 'process knitter' to do lace - at least the way I do it (one step forward, two steps back). If I didn't love the process, I'd have given up 5 tries ago. I can live with the ripping out and re-knitting (if I must), but what really frustrates me is when I make a mistake (like knowing I dropped a stitch but not being sure where) or need to unknit a section, and I can't read the knitting to tell what I'm doing. I hope that with more experience and practice, I'll learn this skill as well.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
GiftYarn!!!! And Needles!!! And Rocks!!!
You know, I've heard of this, but never been the happy recipient of one - a knitter's care package. My friend and fellow knit-fiend Wren came into a stash of knitting needles, and sent me a bunch. Check this out!
I've never knit on anything larger than a 9 or so, so of course I have to jump right on getting some super bulky yarn and knitting something up on those 15s. Just to say I did it.
She also sent me this ...
... a hank of Mountain Colors Bearfoot, handpainted superwash wool! Yummmm! It's awesome ... I'm just going to keep it here on the kitchen table to admire and pet until I figure out what it wants to be.
Thanks, Wren! You rock!
In other knitting news ... I'm almost hesitant to post this, because every time I do, something goes wrong, but ...
...I started the Triangles Shawl over again. I've been very, very careful ... to the point of obsession. I check every row against the chart before I move on. Last night I hit the spot where every other attempt has gotten screwed up beyond fixing. This time I did a few things differently. I put in a couple extra markers to give myself good places to stop and go back and compare the stitches to the chart. Now that the stitch count is getting higher, I want to be able to do this in increments as I work across, rather than trying to go do the whole row at once - that's going to get too tedious and leave too much chance of making a mistake as it gets bigger.
The second thing I did was I finally did the lifeline. Putting it in wasn't hard at all. Knitting around it on that first row was kind of a pain. Since I picked the beginning of a section to put it in, and since the first row of that section happens to be one of the hardest rows in whole pattern (well, I should say, most intricate - lots going on), that didn't help. Perhaps when I decide to put the next one in, I'll move it to an easier row.
I'm determined to make this shawl. One way or another. And so far, so good ... last night I made it past the row that usually screws me up. So, we'll see.
When I was taking pictures of the new landscaping done last weekend, there was one I didn't get because, I believe, it had gotten late and dark. I make amends now. The other project that got done with the pallet o' rocks was this:
The Dread Reverend built this - isn't this awesome? There was a spot right off the porch that was low and everytime it rained it turned into a big mud puddle. We couldn't keep grass growing there. So he built this in the spot, and it's working great. We're actually hoping to enlarge it a little bit later on, when we can get another pallet of rocks. But we had a few rocks left over, and today he's going to build a matching one of these on the other side of the porch.
The yard's coming along really nicely this year. I'm pretty pleased with it all.
But for now, I'm off ... I have a crazy busy day ahead. I have to go into work for a few hours (ugh - I hate working on Saturdays, but I'm too far behind, and with the days I missed this week I have no choice now); go to the bank; stop at Border's (book I want, still have gift cards from Christmas); go to the grocery store; and if I have time and don't run out of energy, I'd like to stop at one of the local garden centers for some things. And this evening, while the Dread Reverend is at band practice, I'd like to get in some practice time myself. I'd like to get back to the studio for another session, but don't have anything ready yet. I've been slacking on this project. The timing's bad - it's much easier for me to work on 'indoor' projects in the winter, as long as the weather's nice I pretty much live outside on the porch.
Anyway, I'm off to the busy day.
I've never knit on anything larger than a 9 or so, so of course I have to jump right on getting some super bulky yarn and knitting something up on those 15s. Just to say I did it.
She also sent me this ...
... a hank of Mountain Colors Bearfoot, handpainted superwash wool! Yummmm! It's awesome ... I'm just going to keep it here on the kitchen table to admire and pet until I figure out what it wants to be.
Thanks, Wren! You rock!
In other knitting news ... I'm almost hesitant to post this, because every time I do, something goes wrong, but ...
...I started the Triangles Shawl over again. I've been very, very careful ... to the point of obsession. I check every row against the chart before I move on. Last night I hit the spot where every other attempt has gotten screwed up beyond fixing. This time I did a few things differently. I put in a couple extra markers to give myself good places to stop and go back and compare the stitches to the chart. Now that the stitch count is getting higher, I want to be able to do this in increments as I work across, rather than trying to go do the whole row at once - that's going to get too tedious and leave too much chance of making a mistake as it gets bigger.
The second thing I did was I finally did the lifeline. Putting it in wasn't hard at all. Knitting around it on that first row was kind of a pain. Since I picked the beginning of a section to put it in, and since the first row of that section happens to be one of the hardest rows in whole pattern (well, I should say, most intricate - lots going on), that didn't help. Perhaps when I decide to put the next one in, I'll move it to an easier row.
I'm determined to make this shawl. One way or another. And so far, so good ... last night I made it past the row that usually screws me up. So, we'll see.
When I was taking pictures of the new landscaping done last weekend, there was one I didn't get because, I believe, it had gotten late and dark. I make amends now. The other project that got done with the pallet o' rocks was this:
The Dread Reverend built this - isn't this awesome? There was a spot right off the porch that was low and everytime it rained it turned into a big mud puddle. We couldn't keep grass growing there. So he built this in the spot, and it's working great. We're actually hoping to enlarge it a little bit later on, when we can get another pallet of rocks. But we had a few rocks left over, and today he's going to build a matching one of these on the other side of the porch.
The yard's coming along really nicely this year. I'm pretty pleased with it all.
But for now, I'm off ... I have a crazy busy day ahead. I have to go into work for a few hours (ugh - I hate working on Saturdays, but I'm too far behind, and with the days I missed this week I have no choice now); go to the bank; stop at Border's (book I want, still have gift cards from Christmas); go to the grocery store; and if I have time and don't run out of energy, I'd like to stop at one of the local garden centers for some things. And this evening, while the Dread Reverend is at band practice, I'd like to get in some practice time myself. I'd like to get back to the studio for another session, but don't have anything ready yet. I've been slacking on this project. The timing's bad - it's much easier for me to work on 'indoor' projects in the winter, as long as the weather's nice I pretty much live outside on the porch.
Anyway, I'm off to the busy day.
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